How Animals Sleep?
动物是怎样睡觉的？ I-14 / 014

There's nothing quite like falling sound asleep after a full day of work. Like people, animals need to rest after working hard. Some animals sleep floating in water. Others dig holes under the ground. Some even sleep high in trees or under leaves. But they all find a way to rest.

Animals sleeping in the sea can be a strange sight. Fish sleep with their eyes open. They do not have eyelids, so they seem to stare into the depths while they nap. Sea otters sometimes sleep in beds of seaweed. This keeps them from floating away. Parrotfish blow a clear gel from their mouths when they are ready to snooze. The gel forms a bubble around them. The bubble protects them from harm while they sleep.

Other animals sleep under the ground. Chipmunks sleep curled up in a ball. Their beds are made of leaves and grass. They wake up now and then to snack on food stored nearby. Some desert frogs dig underground holes during the hot, dry season. A frog may stay in its hole for months.

High above the ground, monkeys make leafy nests in trees each evening before they sleep. The tree's high branches help to keep the monkeys safe during the night. Even the insects buzzing around their heads rest. Some sleep under a leaf that will be their next meal. A bee may crawl down into a blossom to rest. When it crawls out the next morning, it is rested and ready to buzz off to work.

Words and Phrases

strange sight 奇特的景象

eyelid [ˈaɪlɪd] 名 眼皮

nap [næp] 动 / 名 小睡，打盹

sea otter 海獭

seaweed [ˈsi:wi:d] 名 海草，海藻

parrotfish [ˈpærətfɪʃ] 名 鹦嘴鱼

clear gel 透明凝胶

snooze [snu:z] 动 / 名 打盹，小睡

chipmunk [ˈtʃɪpmʌŋk] 名 花栗鼠

curl up 蜷曲

now and then 时而，不时

snack on 吃（点心）

desert frog 沙漠蛙

leafy [ˈli:fɪ] 形 多叶的；枝叶茂盛的

buzz around 匆忙而紧张地行动；在四周嗡嗡叫

crawl [krɔ:l] 动 爬行；缓慢而行

buzz off 匆忙离去；走开

Practice

1. Fish do not have________.

A. scales

B. bubbles

C. tails

D. eyelids

2. Parrotfish make a clear gel with their_________.

A. mouths

B. scales

C. skin

D. fins

3. Chipmunks sleep in beds made of________.

A. nets

B. mud

C. leaves and grass

D. sticks and twigs

4. Monkeys make beds using material from________.

A. insects

B. water

C. the ground

D. trees

5. Some insects rest________.

A. while eating

B. under leaves

C. while buzzing

D. curled up in a ball

译文

动物是怎样睡觉的？

劳累了一天，再也没有什么事比呼呼大睡更让人惬意了。跟人一样，动物工作劳累后也需要休息。有些动物睡觉时漂浮在水面上，有些则会在地下挖洞，还有些动物甚至就睡在高高的树上或者树叶下方。但动物们总会找到适合自己的休息方式。

海洋中动物的睡眠方式可谓一幅奇特的景象。鱼儿们睡觉是睁着眼睛的，因为它们没有眼皮，所以即使在小睡看起来也像是瞪着眼睛望向深海。海獭有时睡在海藻堆里，这些海藻可以防止它们漂走。而鹦嘴鱼准备睡觉时，会从嘴里吐出透明凝胶，这个凝胶会在其周围形成一个泡泡，这个泡泡能保护鹦嘴鱼睡觉时免受侵害。

有些动物睡在地底下。花栗鼠睡觉时蜷缩成球状。它们的床是由叶子和草铺成的，它们还会不时醒来，吃一些贮存在附近的小点心。一些沙漠蛙在炎热干旱的季节里会挖洞睡觉，有的一待可能就待上数月之久。

在离地面很高的地方，每晚睡前猴子们会在树上用树叶做窝。高高的树枝使它们在夜晚有个安全的栖身之所。即便是围在猴子脑袋周围嗡嗡叫的昆虫也要休息。有些吃树叶的昆虫会睡在树叶下方，醒来便能大快朵颐。而蜜蜂可能会爬进花朵里休息，第二天一大早再爬出来时，便精力充沛地忙着去工作了。

练习

1．鱼没有________。

A．鱼鳞

B．气泡

C．尾巴

D．眼皮

2．鹦嘴鱼从_______生出透明凝胶。

A．嘴巴

B．鱼鳞

C．皮肤

D．鱼鳍

3．花栗鼠的床是用________做的。

A．网

B．泥巴

C．树叶和草

D．树枝

4．猴子做窝用的材料取自________。

A．昆虫

B．水

C．地面

D．树

5．一些昆虫会________休息。

A．在吃东西时

B．在树叶下

C．在嗡嗡叫时

D．蜷缩成球状